Black Shadows in the Night
by The Gospel of Eleanor Rigby
Summary: It's been fifteen years since Jacob Black decided to live life as a wolf. After a chance encounter with Delilah Parker, he's about to get a serious lesson in humanity. Starting with the fact that you probably shouldn't kidnap your imprint.
1. Prologue

**A/N: As you can tell, this is just the prologue! It's short, I know. But I can promise the chapters will be longer! It will be in the point of view of our protagonist Delilah! You will grow to love her, I know I already have.**

Bella Swan used to say that Jacob Black was like the sun. It used to be true. Without fail, the sun rises every morning. It brightens up the entire day. Jacob's smile and attitude could brighten up anyone's day.

Jacob Black used to say that Edward Cullen was an eclipse. But as it turns out, it was actually Bella Swan who was the eclipse. She was the one who stopped the sun from shining. She was the one who emerged the world in total darkness. When she chose to _die_ , rather than be with him.

Fifteen years ago, she married Edward Cullen. Fifteen years ago, she made her choice. Fifteen years ago, Jacob Black also made his choice. It's been fifteen years since Jacob has stood on human legs. His mind is more feral than human. He's become an expert at blocking people out of his head. He barely even hears the rest of the pack anymore. They are a faint hum in the back of his mind.

He used to run all over North America, coming home every so often. But for some reason, fifteen years after they had left, the Cullen's returned to Forks for reasons that were unknown to Jacob. But he found himself coming back to La Push anyway.

He could smell her. She still smelled like strawberries and honeysuckle, but only slightly. He smelled traces of her scent when he passed into Seattle. The tiny bit of human left in him wanted to follow her. So he did.

He went back to La Push and spent his days lurking in the tree lines. His wolf still remembered the treaty, and now that they were back, he knew he couldn't break it. He wandered the forests.

Sometimes he wondered if the pack could smell him. But his wolf knew to flee every time he sensed one of them near. He didn't want to be near them.

He didn't want to be near anyone. He had already resigned himself to living forever as a wolf.

But then he saw her. Even in wolf form, he knew she was special. She was made for him. He had to know her.

Unbeknown to him, she was Delilah Parker. Long time La Push resident, older sister to a brother who had the Quileute genes in him. At seventeen years old, she was smart, sweet and extremely stubborn.

And she was in for the surprise of her life.


	2. Chapter 1

_Monday._

If being late was considered a talent, I would have been rich and famous a long time ago. My morning routine consists of me being blissfully unaware that my alarm is ringing, while staying wrapped up in my warm blankets and burying my face into my pillow, with my long hair falling down the sides of my face. Either my fifteen-year-old brother Matteo or my mother would come up and bang on my door, forcing me awake. I would finally fly out of bed, thankful that I had already showered the night before and attempt to look decent in the ten minutes that I had before I had to leave to pick up my best friend.

This morning, I tugged on my black jeans, threw on a blue long sleeved shirt, tugged my North Face jacket over it and ran downstairs to grab a granola bar before I rushed out the door. "Don't forget your lunch!" My mom calls after me, as I'm about to run out the door. I double back and grab the bag in thanks. "And your shoes, Delilah!" I look down at my feet and realize I'm only wearing socks. My mom rolls her eyes in amusement at me as I tug on my boots and call for my brother.

"Matteo lets go! You have ten seconds to get to the car or I'm leaving without you!" I yell up the stairs, closing the door behind me. I slide into my little black car and throw my bag in the seat behind me. A minute later, my brother finally slides into the backseat. He looks disheveled and exhausted and I give him a once over as my car roars to life. "Late night?" I ask curiously.

He runs his abnormally large hand over his face. "I didn't get much sleep. I'm not feeling great."

"Try not to fall asleep in class again okay? I understand that your first language is Dweeb, but English class is actually very important." I tease.

He rumbles a halfhearted laugh but doesn't respond. I can tell he must be exhausted because he normally has some sort of comeback or response, so I let it go and turn the radio down as he closes his eyes. A few minutes later, I pull up to a small white house and my tall enough to make me look like a shrimp friend Stella comes out the front door and slides into the passenger seat. She stretches her long legs out and tosses her bag behind her, turning to look at my brother. "Hey Matty!" She shouts.

He jumps a little, but settles back quickly. "Don't call me that." He mutters.

She just laughs and tucks her short brown hair behind her ears. "Oh and hello to you too, I guess." She greets me and then begins to play on her phone.

"Oh thanks." I roll my eyes at her abrasiveness and continue to drive. When we pull into the school parking lot, Stella slips from her seat and I open the back door that Matteo was leaning on in his sleep. He falters after losing his balance and glares at me as he exits the car. "Keep your eyes open during class today Matteo." I warn him, throwing his bag at him.

He looks angry. "Whatever Mom." And then stomps off. I shrug to myself and retrieve my own backpack. His attitude used to bother me when it was fresh, but it's become more frequent lately, so I've adjusted.

Stella raises her eyebrows at me. "What's eating him?" She asks curiously.

"Beats me. Puberty maybe."

She laughs. "You could be right. Your brother has gotten really hot the last few months. I mean did you see that butt? I can think of a few ways that he could get rid of some of his frustrations."

I cringe and shove her roughly in the arm. "Stella, that's disgusting. He's my dorky little brother remember? And he's only fifteen!"

"He looks _a lot_ older than fifteen Lila." She winks at me, and I know she's just trying to rile me up. "You would understand if he wasn't your brother."

I shut my locker and start walking away from her. "I'm leaving now!" I call behind me, not bothering to look back. I'm grossed out, but part of me knows she's right. Matteo has not only shot up in inches, he's expanded in muscle mass too. I swear that only a couple months ago he was a short, scrawny little freshman. He couldn't have changed that fast right under my nose.

I sit down in my AP Chemistry and smile at the girl sitting next to me. "Hey Delilah." She greets me. "How was your weekend?"

"Hey Claire. It wasn't bad, just hung out with Stella and caught a movie in Port Angeles. And attempted to finish part of our lab report last night, but Lord only knows how that went. How about you? You do anything fun?"

She immediately gets flustered. "Ah, no I- uh, just hung out with my one friend. That's it."

I bite my lip to keep from laughing as she pulls her golden brown locks out of her face. The friend in question, Quil Ateara, was known for being notoriously large, loud, and much older than Claire. I've known Claire Henderson since grade school and from what I can recall from the years that passed between then and now, Quil has been around as long as I could remember. I knew that she got flustered whenever she talked about him because a lot of people at school, and even around the reservation, thought it was extremely strange.

It never really bothered me. I knew Claire's aunt, who owned a small bakery in the middle of the reservation, and I had met her parents a few times at birthday parties and after school study sessions. They seemed like smart and levelheaded people, and if they didn't have a problem with a thirty something year old muscle head hanging around their daughter, than it wasn't any of my business.

"Alright class!" There was a call from upfront. The bell had rung and class had begun. "There will be a role call and then everyone will continue working on the lab reports that are due on Friday." Claire and I both grinned to each other. We had basically completed the report and only had a few sections left to do, so today would be an easy class for us. We settled into a comfortable work environment and then chatted until class was over.

As we walked to English class that we had together, we passed by Matteo standing by his locker. He looked upset about something and I held up my finger to Claire and walked over to him. "Matt?" I asked softly. "Are you okay?" I put my hand gently on his forearm and noticed it was trembling. "Matteo?" I said his name again, as he hadn't answered me.

"I don't know what's wrong with me." He mutters, before he rips his arm from underneath my grip and stalks off.

I knit my eyebrows together in confusion and stare in the area that he was just walking as I head back over to Claire. She's also staring in that direction, but she doesn't quite look confused. She almost looks sad. "You ready to head to class now?" I say, and she jumps as though I've startled her. "You okay?" I ask her as well.

"Fine, fine. Sorry." She mutters and whips out her cell phone. "I have to make a phone call though, I'll meet you in class." And then she walks away from me.

Okay, this day just keeps getting weirder. I sit down next to Stella in English and continue to ponder everyone's strange behaviour. There's no way Claire running off to make a mysterious phone call has anything to do with Matteo, right? It wouldn't make any sense. And there has to be an easy explanation for Matt's moody behaviour. Maybe some girl rejected him and now he's sulking. Or maybe he's doing badly in school. Maybe if he would talk to me instead of storming off every time I tried to see if he was okay, I would know what's going on. I look up and notice that Stella is looking at me like I'm an idiot. "Hello, earth to Delilah? I've been trying to say hi to you since you got here like five minutes ago. What's wrong with you?"

"Sorry," I mutter in embarrassment. "I have a lot on my mind."

She can tell that I'm actually worried about something, because she doesn't press it. Instead, she makes a joke. "Wow, your mind can actually hold information. I was getting a little worried that you might be slow up there."

"Ha, ha." I mutter, sticking out my tongue.

Her smile fades away. "But seriously, you okay? What's wrong?"

"It's nothing too serious." I reassure her, and I wasn't lying. There was a sane and reasonable explanation for all of this and it would sort itself out eventually. For now, I would just have to forget about it. "Don't worry about it."

She raises her eyebrows at me but doesn't say anything as she pulls out the school's rusty old copy of Hamlet. I do the same and I lose myself in the mind numbing voice of my teacher as she reads out the lines of the book as we all follow along.

At lunch, Stella and I sit at our usual table with a few of our school friends Caroline, Ethan, Haley and Max. We all hang out at school together, chat casually in the hallways and eat lunch together, but we rarely see each other after school unless there's a beach bonfire or some other large event that we've been invited to. I smile at everyone, but their chatter is lost to me as I chew thoughtfully on my sandwich and glance over to where my brother is sitting with his friends. He's smiling and joking around with everyone, and the weight in my chest silently lifts and I go back to the conversation that my friends are having.

Caroline is talking about having another bonfire that Friday. The weather is starting to warm up, as it's hit early May, so the prospect of having a bonfire is actually looking good. "I was talking to a few people from Calculus and they're all down. It will be fun! We haven't hung out together outside of school since… See? I can't even remember!" She looks at us all individually with excited eyes, but her gaze lingers on me the longest.

I sigh, knowing she's holding my gaze because I'm the most likely to say no or back out at the last minute. So I relent easily. "Okay, I will go to the bonfire. But I will not drink. And there has to be s'mores."

"Deal!" She shouts happily and continues eating her carrot stick that she dipped in ranch.

I look up and spot Claire walking into the lunchroom and sitting at her usual table. She makes eye contact with me and I give her a small wave. She smiles at me, but it doesn't reach her eyes. She looks troubled.

Well, so much for that weight off my chest.

I'm thankful for the end of the day bell and I nearly bowl over a couple sophomores as I charge to my locker and grab my bag. I walk around to meet Stella at her locker, wait a minute while she collects her things and then we head out to my car. Matteo is waiting, leaning against the car with a sour look on his face. "Wow, took you long enough. What did you do, travel around the world in eighty days before you decided to come to the car?" He spits, opening and slamming the back door. Stella looks at me with wide eyes and I just shrug. I had no idea what his problem was.

The three of us drive home in silence. I drop Stella off first and then head towards my own house. "Matt, is there something going on that I need to know about? You know you can talk to me, right?" My voice is gentle. I just want him to know that I'm here.

He rolls his eyes. "Even if there was something wrong, I wouldn't tell you. You're my sister, not my gatekeeper Delilah. I wish you would just leave me alone. I already have two parents, in case your little brain hasn't comprehended that." And then he exited the car and went into the house. I sat there in shock for a minute, trying to figure out if I was just hallucinating the words that came out of my brother's mouth. We were only two years apart, him being fifteen and I being seventeen, so we had been relatively close our entire lives. I had never heard him say anything so spiteful to me.

I noticed that I was crying, so I wiped away the moisture that ran down my cheek and continued inside. My mom was sitting in the kitchen on her laptop, typing something up while spaghetti sauce boiled in a pot behind her. "Hey Delly, how was your day at school?" She asks.

My face automatically scrunches up at her horrible nickname for me. If I wasn't already in a bad mood, that put me over the edge. "Fine." I mutter, walking past her and up the stairs into my room. I feel bad afterwards, knowing that my brother probably gave her the exact same treatment, but not bad enough to go downstairs and apologize.

I try to be extra nice to her at dinner to ease the frown etched into her face, and it works a little bit. When my dad gets home and the four of us have finished eating, I help my dad clear and rinse the dishes while my mom finishes her project on her computer and my brother makes his way back to his room.

After I'm finished, I walk upstairs to grab a jacket and my guitar and head out the door. "I'm going to the Big Rock!" I call to whatever parent is listening. "I'll be back before nine."

It's nearing seven, so the sunset is already bright and beautiful. I head into the woods and towards my favorite place in La Push. When Matteo and I were younger, we would always play in this area of the forest and I always loved the odd shape of this giant rock. It's in the middle of a clearing type area and the grassy area and forest that surround it make it the perfect place for me to bring my guitar and strum for a bit. It's become almost a nightly routine, ever since I was about fourteen.

I take my place, pull out my pick and start strumming as I watch the orange glow in the sky begin to dim into something darker. I'm almost completely relaxed when a rustling in front of me makes me jump. I look up and swear I see a giant bushy tail in the bushes. I've almost convinced myself that I'm crazy when a howl rolls out into the air of the night. My heart leaps into my throat and I jump up, grab my guitar and break into a brisk walk. I'm not about to let myself be wolf bait. I'm almost out of the woods and can see the clearing that breaks into the space before my house when something appears behind me.

I let out a startled scream as I prepare to become wolf bait. But the person in front of me is human. In fact, it's a human that I recognize. Sam Uley, Claire's uncle by marriage, is standing a foot above my height and staring down at me in disapproval. "Delilah, you shouldn't be out in the woods this late. It's not safe. There are things out here –"

"Like wolves?" I interrupt him in a low voice. "I heard one. I think I saw it, but just the tail though. I'm not crazy right?"

He smiles gently. "No, you aren't crazy. Come on, let's get you home." He walks me to my door like a gentleman and I stop him before he can leave.

"I don't mean to be nosy or anything, but is everything okay with Claire? She missed English today and she seemed troubled this afternoon." I was mostly asking for my own benefit, but I did want to know if she was all right.

His smile doesn't reach his eyes, but then again, it rarely ever does. "She's fine. Stay out of the woods please." I nod when he speaks, even though I'm sure I won't follow his rules. Before he turns to leave, he looks at me again. "And please be careful around your brother. He's extremely dangerous right now Delilah."

He walked away before I had time to ask him what he meant. There's no way my brother was dangerous, right? I mean, how could Matteo be _dangerous_? What did Sam Uley know about him anyway?

I did a little bit of homework before I crawled into bed for the night, but the entire time Sam's words kept floating through my head. _Please be careful around your brother. He's extremely dangerous right now._

Somewhere outside, a wolf howled.


	3. Chapter 2

_Thursday_

Sam's words from the other night are still bugging me, especially because Matteo's attitude has gotten worse over the last two days, along with his temper. At first, it used to bother both my mom and I, but one night when I was coming back from the Big Rock a little early, I overheard a conversation in the living room that I know I wasn't supposed to hear. Both of my parents were sitting with Sam Uley and I heard the words trigger, Cullen and Matteo. I knew who the Cullen's were, everyone on the reservation did, but I was under the impression that they had moved away for good, so I was unsure why they were being talked about in my living room, especially with anything concerning my brother. I didn't have a chance to ask question because I got the look from Sam as soon as I walked in, so I scurried away before he could lecture me about being in the woods.

I woke up this morning actually on time for once because I had slept so fitfully the night before. I was in the hallway and walking into the shower when my mom stepped out of her bedroom and I nearly gave her a heart attack. "Oh!" She gasped in surprise. "You're awake."

I shrug sheepishly. "Couldn't sleep. Gonna shower."

She nods and heads downstairs to the kitchen. "I'm making pancakes this morning. You'll actually have time to eat them. Also, wake Matteo up on your way down please."

I take my time in the shower, leisurely rinsing off my body. It's kind of nice not having to rush, but I'll take sleeping in any day. After I'm dressed in my lazy Thursday outfit, which consists of grey sweatpants and a black hoodie, I make my way over to Matteo's room and knock. "Matt! Wake up for school!" I yell, knocking again. He doesn't answer. "Matteo? You alive?" Still nothing. All right then, guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way and just jump on top of him. I twist the knob and swing open the door and stop in my tracks.

My heart leaps up into my throat. The room is trashed, broken bed, shards of glass spread all over the floor from the busted window. A scream bubbles up into my throat and I release it as my mom runs up the stairs in a panic. "Delilah, why are you screa- oh my lord." She breathes. "I have to call your father." She says in a panic, running to the upstairs phone.

What in the hell just happened? "Mom!" I call after her, heart racing. "Call Dad after. We have to call the police and let them know that Matteo has been kidnapped and is missing!"

"Let me handle this Delilah." She snaps, turning away from me. "Just eat breakfast and get ready for school please." I gape at her as she walks away. She expects me to go to school when my brother has just been kidnapped!?

"You're joking right?" I ask her incredulously. She just gives me a look. "Matt's missing, Mom!" I exclaim. "I can't go to school!"

She pulls the phone down from her ear. "Listen, Delilah. Just go to school. Talk to Matty's friends, see if anyone has seen him, okay? There's no use in you sitting around here and waiting for him. If anything happens, I will call you. Okay?" I just continue to stare at her. "Go, Delilah! Please."

"Fine." I snap, grabbing my bag and exiting without bothering to eat the pancakes laid out for me. I arrive at Stella's a little early so I wait for her in the car while she gets ready. When she gets in and asks where Matt is, I launch into a frantic explanation of how my entire family has gone nuts. "He's missing and my mom is forcing me to go to school! Is she crazy?"

"Are _you_ crazy? You actually listened to her!" She shoots back.

I pull up at the school and turn towards her. "No I didn't. I'm just dropping you off. Had to get out of the house so that my mom didn't ask questions. I'm going to search around the Res for Matt. And my first stop is Sam Uley's house."

"Sam Uley…?" She asks. "What does he have to do with anything?"

"I don't know, but I'm sure as hell going to find out. I'll be back to pick you up. If anyone asks, I'm out sick." And then I peeled away as fast as I could. When I arrived at Sam's house, I wasn't sure exactly what my plan was. Did I go up to the door and demand an explanation? No, that's just stupid. It just gives him a chance to hide everything from me and just tell me he had no idea what I was talking about.

So I parked my car a few blocks away and walked over. Sam and Emily Uley, like my family, had a house that was right next to the tree line near a section of the forest. So I picked my vantage point, a particularly bushy shrub, crouched inside and watched. I wanted to laugh at myself. I was hiding inside a bush.

After about an hour, I had almost given up, when the back door opened and out stepped Sam, Quil and another man I didn't recognize. He was tall and muscular just like the others, with wisps of shaggy black hair. He turned in my general direction and I caught a glimpse of his face and bright brown eyes. That was not a man, that was a boy.

It was Matteo.

 _Holy shit._ I started to panic. What the hell had they done to my brother? Steroids? Cocaine? LSD? And why the hell was he smiling? I don't think Matteo had ever talked to Sam before in his life and here they were, acting like they were best friends and – _oh crap they're walking this way._

They went a little wide as to where I was and seemed oblivious. But suddenly, Matteo stopped and the other two glanced at him. "Do you smell that?" He said, and a shiver ran down my spine. His voice was deep and gravelly, a complete 180 to the sweet voice that I had come to know.

"Is it a really sweet smell? If it is, it's probably a leech." Quil says to him. _Excuse me, a what?_ "You'll become distinctly familiar with that smell soon enough."

I watch as Matt shakes his massive head. "No, it's not a bad smell. It's kind of pleasant, familiar. It almost smells like…" He stops. "Never mind. I'm going crazy."

"Your senses are heightened, Matteo." Sam says in a voice that reminds me of a dictator. "Your body will be confused for a little while. Now we need to speed up. The faster you train and learn to control yourself, the faster you can go home."

The three of them walked deeper into the forest and I just stood there, crouched and dumbfounded. It was like they were speaking another language and I found myself feeling more lost and more curious than before. So I decided to follow them.

It was only about a minute that I had deliberated following them before I actually started moving, but I could no longer hear or see them. It was almost like they had disappeared into thin air. But I still trudged forward, determined and angry. I didn't know how long I had been walking or how far I had gone, I just knew that I was lost and that I wasn't going to be finding Matteo anytime soon.

"Well shit." I cursed to myself. I tried not to panic because La Push wasn't _that_ big. I'm sure if I kept walking in one direction I could find an outskirt and make my way back home. I just hoped that I could do it before nightfall. "Better get going." I mutter to myself, picking a direction and trudging on.

I had only been walking for a little while when there was a rustling in the bushes. I froze, and against my better judgment, called out a name. "Matteo?" My voice was quiet and a little shaky. "Matty?"

The figure emerged. Nope, it wasn't Matteo. It was a giant wolf.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head. Sam wasn't trying to scare me at all! He was being serious. There was a wolf in the forest. A big, russet colored wolf, taller than me even on all fours with big brown eyes, staring right at me. He was close enough now that I could feel his breath on my face. I couldn't stop staring into his eyes. They were locked on me, intense, almost calculating.

Suddenly, in a movement that made me jump, he dropped down onto his belly and put his head in the dirt. I was confused and a little shocked. Was he? _Submitting?_ To me? "This is insane…" I breathed in amazement to myself. Why wasn't I running for the hills yet?

In an act of insanity, I slowly reached out to touch his fur. It looked soft and inviting and I was clearly mentally insane. I watched his face wearily for any sign of objection, but he was still just staring at my face. My fingers wound into the fur on the top of his head and I gently stroked. I was right, it was inviting. It was warm and soft and I found myself sinking to my knees to get a better grip.

My heart was pounding, but for some reason I wasn't scared at all. I was enthralled.

Suddenly, his head jerked up and I yanked my hand back in surprise. His ears were perked, like he could hear something that I couldn't, which he probably could, and then his muzzle pulled back to reveal his sharp canines. I fell onto my butt and scrambled backwards as far as I could. His eyes darted around him as he let out a snarl and all of a sudden, he was on his feet and running in the opposite direction.

After I got over my initial shock and my heart calmed down, I realized I should probably get the hell out of the woods before he came back to eat me, or before I ran into whatever he had heard. I stumbled to my feet and ran like hell. I had no sense of direction and no idea where I was going, when suddenly I ran into a rock.

Oh wait it was a person. I only knew this because it caught me before I fell and I'm pretty sure rocks don't have arms. And of course, it was _this_ person. Sam Uley. God, he was everywhere these days. "Delilah. Are you okay?" He asked me in a hard voice. He looked like he was refraining from lecturing me.

"You were right." I gasped, out of breath. "You were right about the wolves. I _saw_ one."

"I know this seems hard to believe, but the wolves here are harmless. Almost friendly." His mouth lifts into a tiny smile.

I nod. "I know. I touched it. It was… almost human." I shook my head. "I'm going crazy." I mutter mostly to myself. "A big red wolf lets me pet it and now I think they're harmless."

Sam's grip on my upper arm tightens. "What colour did you say the wolf was? Red like almost a russet red?" I nod. He drops my arms in surprise. "There's no way." He breathes to himself.

"Do you know him? I mean, it." I ask. I guess I shouldn't have just assumed that the wolf was a boy.

He says nothing about it. "We need to get back. Come on." And then he grabs my arm again and drags me along with him. Thankfully, Sam has a much better sense of direction than I do. "Go home, Delilah. I'll call your mother and let her know you're on your way. And _stay out of the woods!_ " He nearly snaps. Jeez.

I put my hands up at him. "Alright." I say, turning and heading into the direction of my car. As I was driving away, I realized that I should have asked him about Matteo. But everything else had scared me so bad, I totally forgot. And then I saw it was almost 5:30 and realized I had forgotten to pick up Stella "Shit!" I swore, grabbing my phone and not bothering to read the missed calls and texts I had before calling her.

She picks up without even saying hello. "Yes, I made it home okay. I walked, no thanks to you. You're lucky it didn't rain. Where the hell were you?"

"Well… I was in the woods. All day. Yeah, don't even say it, it's a long story. I'll tell you at school tomorrow. I need to get home so my parents can beat me to death."

She huffs. "Fine. Tomorrow I expect details. See you then! Keep your dumb ass out of the woods!" She chimes before she hangs up.

I restart my car from where I had pulled over and continued driving to my house. My mom was waiting on the porch with her arms crossed and I fought the urge to roll my eyes. "Delilah Rose Parker!" She shouts at me and I cringe. My mom is never angry. "Do you have any idea how worried I've been? The school calls and says you never showed up to any of your classes, you don't come home and your car isn't here! And then Sam calls and says he found you in the woods! Do you know what could have happened to you out there?"

"I could have gotten eaten by wolves." I say deadpanned.

She blanches. "Did you… see one?" She's not even surprised. She's curious and almost looks hopeful.

I shrug. "Yeah, maybe. Not a big deal." It was a huge deal, but no need to let her know that. "I'm sorry. Are you going to ground me or something?"

She sighs. "No. Just come inside for dinner please. And don't do it again."

I follow her indoors to the table where my father is sitting alone. There's an empty chair next to my spot. "Where's Matteo?" I ask.

I don't miss the glance between my parents. "He's staying at a friend's house for a little while." My dad says to me.

"Funny, I didn't know Matteo and Sam Uley were friends. Seems weird, a fifteen-year-old kid hanging out with someone who's like what, thirty-three? Not strange at all." My mom gapes at me, like she thought I wouldn't find out. "God, why does everyone around here act like I'm so stupid?" I look my mom dead in the eyes. "Mom, what is wrong with Matty? Is he sick? Doing drugs? Why won't you help him?"

She sighs and presses a kiss to my head. "There's nothing you can do, Lila. He'll come home when he's ready. Now sit and eat please. You haven't eaten at all today and I'm sure you're hungry." I did what I was told, but funnily enough, I didn't feel hungry at all. I actually felt sick to my stomach.

After dinner, I excused myself to my room and lay in bed. Fitfully tossing and turning, I sat up. I couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching me. So I decided to peek out the window just in case there was a mass murderer or Sam Uley waiting outside.

I pulled back the curtains and my heart stopped. It was my wolf.

 _Wow really, my wolf eh?_ I had already claimed it apparently. He was lying against the tree line, head tucked into his paws and eyes staring up at my window. In a rush of adrenaline, I threw on a pair of shoes and ran outside. Thankfully, he was still there. His head lifted in curiosity as I neared him. He almost looked apprehensive. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." I say cautiously, and fight the urge to laugh. Here I am, reassuring a wolf that I won't hurt him.

Wow, he was really beautiful. The way his eyes shone in the moonlight. My heart thumped in my chest and I sat down next to him in silence. The feeling that washed over me was unlike anything else. I felt safe and comfortable. With a freaking wolf lying right next to me. "Okay, so I'm officially off my rocker." I say mostly to myself, but I turn to look at my new wolf friend as I say it. "If you eat me, it's really my own fault. I hope they don't tranquilize or kill you. That would just be unfair. I guess what I'm trying to say is, if I die, I hope they don't kill you because of my own stupidity."

A huff came out of his nose, almost like he was rolling his eyes and sighing at me. I let both my hands entangle in his warm fur and lean against him with a content sigh. I've never felt this warm and fuzzy before. I think I might fall asleep… " _Delilah!"_ A loud booming noise comes from the front porch.

I shoot up out of my haze in a panic and so does my wolf. He immediately gets on all fours and takes off running into the woods. "Wait…" I call out pathetically, but of course he doesn't come back. The person who called my name approaches me. It's my dad. "Hi." I say quietly.

He reaches for my hand and pulls me up from the ground. "What on Earth are you doing out here? And who were you talking to?"

I shrugged. "Couldn't sleep. And no one." And then I just walked past him and into the house. There was no way that I was going to be civil towards my parents while they were hiding a secret from me. No way in hell.

I crawl into bed, thanking the heavens that it's Friday tomorrow so that I can just come home from school and hide away from everyone in the whole world for two whole days.

And then I realize that I promised I would attend a bonfire tomorrow night and I groan.


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hey! So I've fallen in love with this story already and I hope you have too! Reviews are love my friends. Even if it's just a good job, it keeps me going!**

 _Friday_

I woke up to rain. Of course it's raining, it's La Push. But the sound of it automatically put a smile on my face. If it continued raining, maybe they would cancel the stupid bonfire tonight and I could just go home and sleep.

I stumbled out and into the bathroom, walking past Matteo's open door and sighing. You would think I would be ecstatic to have him out of the house after fifteen years of him annoying me, but the truth was I was way too worried about him to enjoy it. And I actually sort of missed him.

"Good morning Delilah." My mom greets me with a smile from the kitchen table. She's drinking a coffee and eating scrambled eggs. There's a plate for me in my usual spot but that's it. I don't know why I was expecting something for my brother when he's not even here. I ignore her and grab the plate, shoveling a few bites into my mouth before I throw it into the sink and slide on my shoes. She's watching my every move, but she hasn't said anything to me. Good. I'm still pissed at her. "Have a good day at school!" She calls as I open the door and my response is a loud slam.

I get to my car and huff. I hate everyone. Stella chats my ear off the whole ride and Caroline meets us at the front door and wont shut up about the stupid bonfire. The rain has stopped, so I can't even use it as an excuse anymore.

My mouth has been in a perma-frown since I woke up and my friends are starting to notice. "Well, what crawled up your ass and died?" Stella asks me as we sit down in class.

"Wolves. Sam Uley. Matteo. My parents. Just to name a few." I mutter.

She raises her eyebrows. "Okay, I'm not even going to touch that one. The mental images of that are disgusting but I suppose it's my fault for using that phrase." She wraps an arm around me. "So I take it yesterday was interesting."

"I saw Matt. He's hanging out with Sam Uley and Quil Ateara. And apparently living there, as he hasn't been home and my parents said he was staying with a friend. I got lost in the forest and made friends with a giant wolf and then Sam found me and gave me a giant lecture. It's all just one big soap opera."

She's staring at me. "And we're sure that you're not insane? And this is all real and actually happened and you're not suffering from schizophrenia?" I shoot her a look and she turns her palms upwards in surrender. "Okay I'm sorry, I had to ask."

"I don't know what to do." I mutter.

"Sorry buddy, I can't help you. Can't say I've ever had a brother mysteriously disappear nor have I ever befriended a wolf. You're on your own." She says sympathetically, patting me on the shoulder.

Of course Stella can't help me, but I know someone that I can talk to. I make my way to Chemistry with my completed part of the lab report that was due today. I sit next to Claire and she grins at me. "Hey! How has your week been?"

"Fine." I snap.

"That's good… Uh, hey, are you coming to the bonfire tonight? I hear it's a big thing."

"Yep."

I can feel her face turn into a frown. "Okay…" She mumbles. "Is something wrong?"

"Why is my brother hanging out with Quil?" I ask her outright, looking her in the eyes.

I can tell I've caught her off guard. "How did you- I mean, I don't know- What?"

"Wow, you are horrible at lying when surprised. Don't try to tell me you don't know because I saw them together yesterday. You know, when my brother should be at school getting an education. What the hell is going on, Claire? Someone better give me some answers right now before I explode."

Suddenly, she stops gaping and her mouth falls in a hard line. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything. You should just drop it and leave your brother alone. He clearly knows what he's doing." Her voice sounds like stone and I'm surprised at the shift in her tone, but all it has succeeded in doing is making me madder.

"Whatever. If my brother wants to hang out with a pervert like Quil, that's just fucking fine with me." I hit her with a low blow, but I can't bring myself to feel guilty. "Here's my part of the report. Think I'm going to go to the nurse. I'm feeling pretty sick." I slam the paper on her desk and storm out.

I actually go to the nurse's office and feign an illness this time. Not like I really cared, but I really wasn't feeling having my mom all over my ass for skipping again. Apparently, I look like crap today, because she immediately buys it, gives me an excusal from the rest of my classes and sends me home. Thank you to the school nurse for being the only person in my life to give me some semblance of happiness.

I hop into my car and peel out of the parking lot. As I'm driving, I swear I keep catching glimpses of something out of the corner of my eye and get the eerie feeling that I'm being followed. It gets so bad that I almost crash into a lamppost and kill myself. I jerk to a stop, flying forward into the steering wheel. The airbag didn't deploy (thanks for not trying to save my life you piece of shit car) and my nose bangs off the edge with a thump.

I grasp my chest, trying to slow my heartbeat down and forget about the fact that I almost had to get the Jaws of Life to come extract me from around a freaking pole. And I look over to where I thought I saw something and there's absolutely nothing. Maybe everyone is right and I am going crazy.

My nose is sore, but it's not bleeding, so I get myself together and continue to drive. I don't stop to look at anything, not even when I hear the long howl of a wolf. I wonder if it's my wolf?

Ha, my wolf. I shouldn't put a claim on him; he probably cuddles up to every girl like that.

My house is empty, both parents are at work and my brother is out doing God knows what. I throw my backpack on the floor by the door without bothering to put anything away and go up the stairs into my room. It's only around 11 and I'm mentally drained from being pissed off at everyone in my life, so I crawl into bed to take a nice long nap.

My "long" nap doesn't last very long. It's all of about thirty minutes before the slamming of the door downstairs wakes me up. I shoot up out of bed, hair flying everywhere and rush to my bedroom door, opening it a crack. There's no plausible reason for either of my parents to be home right now, so that only means one thing.

I creep to the staircase and I hear him before I see him. Matteo. But he's not alone. One of the guys I recognize as Seth Clearwater, but the other one is a mystery. The only things I know are that I've seen him around at school and that they all look alike. "Only you would want a snack the minute you get in here, Kai." Matteo complains to the mystery man, whose name is apparently Kai.

"Okay, you know that is not true at all. Seth is eating too! In fact, anyone of us would. That's just how we all are." He's rummaging through my fridge like he owns the place and my brother says nothing.

"I'm going to go upstairs and grab my stuff so we can get out of here just in case someone comes home early." He says someone, but it's quite obvious that he means me.

Seth looks at the front door for a second, notices my bag and then looks up at the stairs. We make awkward eye contact and I inwardly curse to myself. I guess that's what I get for being so nosy. "Dude, too late." He says, and then points to me with a head nod.

"Delilah?" My brother asks.

I try to hold back my snappy retort, but it just slips out. "No, it's the fucking boogeyman. You're looking right at me you dweeb, obviously it's me."

The two men try to hold back their sniggers, but Matteo looks uncharacteristically angry. His body almost trembles and he talks to me through a clenched jaw. "Why are you here?"

"I live here." I say, deadpanned. "Why are _you_ here?"

"Picking stuff up."

"Ah." If he wants to play the short answer game, I'll play the short answer game.

We continue to stare at each other. "Why aren't you at school?" He finally asks in an almost normal voice.

I don't answer. Instead, I retort, "Why aren't _you_ at school?"

He looks extremely mad. "Don't fucking start with me, Delilah. Not today."

I don't think I've ever heard my little brother swear before. After I get over the shock, I start to feel hurt. Why is he treating me like this? "Fine. If you'll excuse me, I'll be in my room. I don't want you to think you actually have to converse with me or something. Heaven forbid. Get your stuff and then get out." I get to my feet and stomp up the stairs and into my room.

Tears start falling down my face without my permission. I can hear myself sobbing; even though they are soft they make my chest heave up and down. What a mess. I'm on the floor and I can hear Matteo's large body thumping around. The shadows of his feet stop at my door. I wonder if he's going to come in or even knock. But as quick as they arrived, they leave. The front door shuts and I crawl back into bed wearily.

I seriously need to regain some of my energy.

 _Friday Night_

You can tell you live in a small town full of people when a bonfire is considered a big thing. I think my entire school is here. I tug at my grey skinny jeans, wishing that they were sweats, and my long sleeve is not nearly as warm as I thought it was going to be. Even sitting by the fire, I'm cold.

The only good thing is that Caroline brought me stuff to make s'mores. At least she kept that promise. Even if all of my friends had already ditched me only thirty minutes in. The wind blows my hair in my face and I look up to brush it off only to make eye contact with Quil Ateara. And not nice contact either. He's full on glaring at me like he wants to rip my throat out.

Okay, think brain. What did you possibly do to Quil that could have pissed him off? _Nothing, because I can't even remember the last time we've conversed ever!_ And then I notice who's standing beside him. Oh, shit, Claire.

Do I go over and apologize? Glare back? Look down and pretend I didn't notice the stare burning holes into my face?

Option number three was starting to sound pretty good until I noticed who was standing next to him. Matteo. My feet were moving before my brain could come to a logical decision and I walk over to him. I blatantly ignore the glare fixated on my face and come face to face (chest) with my brother. "We need to talk." I tell him.

"Now is not a good time." He says with a clenched jaw.

I sigh. "Please?" I can be stubborn too.

He hesitates, but finally agrees. We walk a little ways away from the crowd, but still close enough that Quil can glare at me in comfort. We stand awkwardly as he looks at the ground. "What's up?"

"Come home." I whisper. "Matty, I'm worried about you."

"I can't come home." He sounds like he's going to cry.

I put my hand on his arm. "Yes you can. Whatever it is that you're afraid to tell me, it's okay. I want to help you. I promise that I won't be ashamed of you. I'll always be here for you, Matt. Come home and let me help you. It's okay."

"No it's not _okay!_ " He suddenly rips out. I can feel his arm trembling. "Nothing is ever going to be the same again! And you don't understand! I can't tell you. And you can't help me! No one can help me! So _leave me alone!"_

He's grabbing my wrist. His grip is like stone. "Matt, let go of my arm." He doesn't listen. "Matty, seriously. You're hurting me. Let me go."

I can see someone running down the beach. I think its Quil. But he doesn't reach us first. A giant wolf flies out of the bushes and tackles Matteo to the ground. Not just any wolf. My wolf.

Matteo looks stunned, but surprisingly not afraid at the giant 150-pound wolf sitting on top of his chest and snarling in his face. My heart is pounding deep in my chest. My wolf looks ready to kill. And I think he might have. His spit was flying into Matteo's face and I could see him struggling to get up, but it was not helping. I had to do something.

My wolf lunges for his face.

"Stop!" I cry out, reaching forward. His big brown eyes look at me. "Please stop. He's my brother. Don't hurt him. Please don't hurt him." I'm begging a wolf. I am begging an animal.

We're still staring at each other. "Please." I breathe one last time.

And a miracle happens. The wolf steps back and shoots me one last look before retreats into the woods again. I drop to my knees next to my brother. He looks like he's in a daze. "Matty, are you okay? Matt. Talk to me!"

"Who was that?" He whispers. I think he might be talking to himself or maybe even me, but then I realize Quil is standing behind me and he's addressing him.

Quil is staring at the spot that the wolf has disappeared into in awe. "An old friend." His voice is shaky. He sounds like he's about to cry. And then he's suddenly gone, departing into the same spot that the wolf had taken off into. Okay, so Quil has a death wish that's good to know.

My head is spinning. I think I might throw up. "Delilah, you don't look so good. Are you okay?" Matteo's voice is soft and it's familiar. "Are you going to hurl? You're white as a pale face."

"I'm fine." I lie. I almost watched my brother get torn apart by a wolf and then his weird ass friend just chased after him like they were old friends. I am definitely not fine. "Are _you_ okay, though? Seriously Matteo, you almost got mauled by a freaking wolf and you're acting like you're totally fine."

He shrugged. "I am. It didn't hurt me."

"You are so weird." I tell him incredulously.

He doesn't reply. His hand comes down to meet mine and he lifts me off of the ground. "I'm gonna go find Quil." Before I can respond, he's gone into the forest.

Great, I just let my little brother run off into the forest at night with a giant wolf. "Seriously!?" I call out, but he's long gone. I am not following him into the woods this time, no way in hell. So I stomp back over to where the real party is. I bump into Stella and Max, who are basically dry humping each other, and announce that I'm leaving.

She finally tears her face away from his to glance at me. "You've only been here for like forty-five minutes, you can't leave!"

I just shrug. "See you Monday." I throw over my shoulder and I get inside my car, cranking up the heat. My sour mood fades a bit when I remember it's Friday night and I don't have to see anybody that I don't want to see for two whole days. I set off in sight of my house, ready to curl up in bed and sleep for the next 48 hours.

When I pull up to my driveway, my house is dim. My parents are probably in bed as it's a little after eleven. I hip check my door shut and click my car, making my way up to my porch. As I'm about to enter the house, I hear something behind me. Footsteps.

"Matteo?" I ask tentatively before I turn around. No answer. Maybe I should just run inside and slam the door shut. That's probably my best bet.

But nope, impulsively, I whirl around to find out who is standing behind me.

I don't know who I was expecting to find. Maybe Sam Uley, Quil, hell even Stella. I came face to face with a complete stranger.

A naked stranger.

 **A/N: Review and a naked werewolf will show up at your door.**


	5. Chapter 4

I should scream. I should run. I should call for my parents. Call the police. I should do something. Instead, I'm just standing here. Staring at this man. This very dirty, very naked man with hair that is almost as long as mine, although it's extremely knotted and has a lot of leaves and twigs in it.

There's dirt smeared all over his face and his body. He's looking at me with a long stare. His eyes enthrall me, when they capture my gaze I can't look away. "Who are you?" I manage to whisper. I feel like I can't breathe.

He looks conflicted and very confused. His mouth opens like he's going to talk but no sound comes out. I can't stop staring at his face. He has the body of a man but his face is so boyish. He looks sad. My heart tugs inside my chest.

Okay, icing on the cake for my insanity right there. First, I make friends with a wolf and then I start feeling sympathy for a naked psycho who is probably going to murder me.

Oh my God, he's touching me. He has crossed the lawn towards me so fast that I didn't even have time to comprehend his actions and he has a hold on my arm. He lifts up the sleeve where Matteo had grabbed me just moments earlier to reveal a hand shaped bruise. His body shudders. "Hurt." My head flies up to look at him as he finally speaks to me. His voice is deep, scratchy and gravelly. It sounds unused.

"I'm okay." I find myself reassuring him for some strange reason. He's still holding my arm, but it's a gentle grasp. He seems like he's almost afraid of me, which is ironically hilarious. "Who are you?" I ask him again louder.

He looks confused. Does he not know his own name or something? "Uhshg-" Is the noise that comes out of his mouth. It's not even a word, let alone a name.

I'm starting to get nervous. "Okay, I have to go now." I try to tug myself from his grasp, but he grips harder. "Let me go, please." I beg.

"Mine." He growls. Oh my God, this guy really is insane. I should have run while I had the chance. Why the hell am I so dumb sometimes?

I almost panic to the point of hyperventilation until I see a figure down the road. They're coming this way, thank God. It's someone I know. Oh wait there are multiple people. Quil is there with my brother and another man I don't recognize. They're stalking towards us. I almost melt with relief. But the crazy man standing beside me gets extremely nervous at their arrival and before I can even blink, his arms are encircling me and holding me flush against him.

"Jacob." The unknown man says, his voice sounds awed but also has a firm tone. "Let the girl go." So my mystery stalker slash kidnapper has a name. Jacob. Seems like such a normal name. And he is apparently well known. "Jake, come on man. It can't happen like this and you know it. I know you're still in there somewhere. Let her go, please. Jake, come on. Pull through." The guy sounds like he's talking to a toddler. Meanwhile, crazy Jake is trembling, but he's still holding me.

"No." Jacob says.

"I know you don't want to hurt her. You need to let her go. You're not in control." Quil is speaking this time. Matteo is standing in the middle of the two of them, looking antsy and like he's going to faint or throw up.

The grip around me is starting to loosen and I think that they're getting through to him. My heart is beating wildly. My whole body is on fire. Insane Jake has extremely hot skin. I look up at his face; he's staring at me still. He has been this whole time. His eyes look pained, but he's watching me. "Let me go, Jacob." I say and his body convulses when I say his name. "Please."

It almost works. I can feel him giving in until Matteo yells out in frustration. "This is ridiculous!" And then he rushes forward to where we're standing and Jacob tenses up and grabs me again. He's holding me, but he's also shielding me.

" _Mine!"_ He snarls, spit flying out from his mouth. I'm shaking with his vibrations.

Matteo takes a step back with his hands up. And then suddenly my feet are off the ground and I'm being swooped into crazy man's arms. And then suddenly we're running into the forest. Oh shit, I just got kidnapped.

They're calling his name and my name out. I hope they're trying to follow us. He runs for what seems like forever, but he doesn't rest. Finally, we come to a dark cave. He sets me down in front of it and I curl up into the tightest ball I can. And then I start to cry. "Why?" Is all I can manage to say to him.

He's still standing and he's still naked and now he's staring at me. "You're mine." He growls at me. "All mine. No one else."

"No I'm not." I whimper. "I don't belong to anyone! I'm just me."

His hands grab my face hard. His limbs are awkward, like he's not used to using them. "Mine!" He snaps. Jesus, is that the only word that he knows?

"Can I just go home?" I ask quietly. "I don't like it out here. I'm scared."

He shakes his head insanely fast and then touches me again. But it's a bit gentler, and he's pulling up the sleeve of my shirt to show me the bruise again. "Not safe." He grumbles. "Stay here. Sleep."

"It's cold." I mumble. He wants me to sleep? Like hell I will. Even if it wasn't cold, dark and scary and the ground wasn't hard and covered in dirt and rocks, I wouldn't sleep around him. Who knows what would happen to me?

"Come." He orders, arms out. "Jacob warm." I know he's right. I could feel the heat of his skin earlier. But despite how cold I am, the last thing I want to do is go near him. So I shake my head. He stares at me for a moment and reaches out and pulls me hard against him. I squeal in surprise and stiffen. "Warm. Sleep."

Tears are trailing down my face. I can't stop crying. His arms are still around me, awkward and stiff and I can't move. After what seems like hours, one hand reaches up and starts to stroke my hair. I'm still crying, but I've started to feel almost numb. And oddly, the hand petting me feels extremely good. And then I'm drifting off.

I wake up to the sun. It's very bright and it's burning my eyes. I squint and try to stretch out. I'm still trapped against the crazy man. I'm also covered in sweat. I feel well rested, strangely enough, but stiff as a board.

Jacob is awake and watching me. When he notices I'm awake, he lets me go. I scoot away from him. "I'm… sorry." He says slowly. I've noticed his vocabulary is becoming more extensive.

"For what?" I ask meekly.

"This." He says. "Me want to… protect you."

"From what?"

"Them. Him." He points across to the tree line. I don't see anyone over there.

I squint but there's still nothing. "I don't see anyone."

"Wolves." He nods. "Hurt you."

"My wolf has never hurt me." I say softly.

He shakes his head. "No. Other wolf. Not good wolf. Bad."

I don't understand. "I've never met any other wolves. Just the one."

He shakes his head. "He is wolf." And then he points to the bushes again.

"There's nobody there." I tell him. Is he crazy? Oh, wait… I forgot. He drops his hand and goes quiet. I'm so fascinated by him, even though I know I probably should be terrified. "Can you tell me who you are?"

He nods. "Jacob."

"Jacob… who?"

His forehead creases together and he looks like he's concentrating really hard. "Black." He finally says.

My mouth drops open. _Jacob Black._ I knew that name. Everyone in La Push, old and young, knew that name. The infamous son of Billy Black that went crazy and ran away fifteen years ago. "You're Billy's son." I say, awestruck.

His eyes fill with some sort of emotion that looks like a cross between pain and regret. "Dad. Must see him."

He doesn't know… "Jacob." I say softly. He shudders again, just like every other time I say his name. "Jacob, he's dead." I feel sick to my stomach telling him.

"No."

My heart lurches for him. His voice cracks and sounds so heartbroken. I've never seen anyone's face hold that much pain. And he crumples and suddenly bursts into tears. And before I realize what I'm doing, I reach out to hold him and cradle his head in my arms. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry." I whisper. "He loved you. He loved you so much." And then I find myself crying too.

Jesus Christ I'm sympathizing and comforting a crazy person. Maybe I'm crazy too.

When he stops, I move myself away from him again. I shouldn't get too close to him or else I'm going to feed my Stockholm syndrome. "Name." He says suddenly. "Yours."

"What's my name?" I asked him. He nods. I hesitate, and then say, "Delilah."

He closes his eyes when I say it. "Delilah." He repeats. "Delilah.

"Yeah, I'm Delilah. And I have two great parents and a little brother that love me. And would probably like for me to go back home. Jacob, are you going to let me go?"

He quickly answers, "No."

I'm frustrated. "Why?"

"Because. Mine."

"I am not yours and I will never be yours!" I scream at him. "Let me go home!"

He snarls and starts to shake. "No."

"I hate you! You're a sick crazy person! You can't keep me forever! Jesus, and I felt sorry for you. You're just a psycho!"

He's livid. I probably shouldn't have provoked his anger with my words like that. Who knows what crazy people do when they get mad?

And then Jacob shows me exactly what crazy people do when they get mad.

They burst into giant wolves.


	6. Chapter 5

_Holy. Shit._

I think I must be dreaming. Or maybe I'm hallucinating. Maybe Crazy Jacob drugged me while I was sleeping. Because there is absolutely no way that that just happened. One second, I was arguing with a full grown man and then suddenly he exploded into a giant wolf ten feet away from me.

No, not just any wolf. My wolf.

God my head is spinning. I think I might throw up.

Oh yeah, here it comes.

I fall to my knees and hunch over, throwing up mostly water. I can feel my heart pounding wildly in my chest. It really doesn't help that two other wolves have just emerged from the forest. A big chocolate brown one and an even larger black one. I retch again, and then frantically try to tuck my hair behind my ears.

Crazy Jacob-He-man-wolf has suddenly appeared in front of me, crouching and snarling at the other wolves. A rustling to my left has me look away only to see yet another wolf appear, small and silver, out of the bushes. There's a shimmer in the air around him and suddenly my brother is standing there, naked as sin. My first reaction is to frantically cover my eyes. "Matteo put on some pants, please!" I beg. The normalcy of talking to my brother eases my pounding heart.

But it still doesn't take away the fact that I just learned men could turn into wolves and vice versa. And my brother is one of them. "Delilah, are you okay?" He asks me gently. I peek out from between my fingers. He's wearing basketball shorts. What a relief. "Are you hurt?"

I shake my head and whisper, "no." My voice is shaky. "Can someone tell me what is going on?"

"The legends are true, Lila. All of them."

The legends? "Like the ones Dad used to tell us around the fire to try and scare us?" I asked, my voice coloured in disbelief. He nods grimly and I just blink. "But, they're just stories…"

"No, they aren't." Someone says from behind me. Sam Uley. The black wolf is gone, so I'm just going to assume that he was the wolf. Oh my god, what is going on? "They are all true. I am Wolf. And so are Matteo, Jacob, Quil, Seth, Kai and many others. We are Pack."

I can only imagine how stupid I look. Sitting on the ground next to my own vomit, behind a giant furry wolf that used to be a man, talking to a giant man that used to be a wolf. My eyes are the size of my head. I can feel them bulging out in surprise. "And… What does this have to do with me?" I ask meekly.

Sam glances over at Jacob-wolf and then at my brother and then back at me. "It's complicated. I'll explain more once we get to my house. There's a lot you need to know." He begins to walk towards me with his hands outstretched. Jacob immediately tenses up and takes a swipe at his arms with his giant paw. "Jacob, enough. Stand down. You can't keep her out here."

Jacob doesn't stand down. In fact, he stands up to his full height. Wow, I didn't realize how massive his wolf was before. I hug my knees to my chest. He clearly doesn't care what Sam says.

"Nobody is going to hurt her, Jake." Another familiar voice pops into the air. It's Quil. He was probably the chocolate wolf. I notice they have all changed back into human form. Maybe it's to show they aren't a threat.

I really don't think it's working.

My feet make the decision to intervene before my brain does. "Jacob." I call softly, standing up. He turns his giant head around to look at me. "Jake, listen to me." I keep my voice as soothing as possible and I reach out to touch his fur. He shakes a bit and falls down onto his belly. I come down with him, back to my knees. "I'm not going to go anywhere. I want to leave with Sam, but you can stay with me. I won't leave your side. I promise. Can you change back? Can you do it for me?"

The wolf stares at me with his big, brown eyes before he suddenly jerks up and disappears into the forest. I'm surprised that nobody immediately moves to grab me but I'm also not surprised because nobody, especially me, wants to set off Jacob. So we wait for him to return. And finally, he does. He's wearing a black pair of shorts and a blue shirt. It's the first time I've seen him actually wearing clothes. I smile despite of the weirdness.

He holds out his hands for me. "Delilah." His voice is still deep and gravelly and sends a shiver up my spine. My body, by some sort of weird gravity, automatically floats into his outstretched arms and I let him wrap me up tightly. I lay my head against his chest and breathe. He smells like the woods and he is unbelievably warm.

Oh right. He's a giant wolf and a stalker who kidnapped me while completely naked. I probably should not be doing this right now. I pull his arms away from me gently and step back. His first reaction, without missing a beat, is to grab my hand tight. I purse my lips but say nothing.

Matteo is standing a few feet away, staring at us like he's going to throw up. I tentatively smile at him and he just shakes his head. Suddenly, he runs into the woods and disappears, Quil following close behind him. Sam hesitates at the tree line, looks back at us and says, "Jacob, bring her to my house now." He sounds extremely authoritative. It sends a shiver down my spine. Jacob looks defiant, but he nods anyway. I really hope he's not going to kidnap me again.

Sam follows the other two into the forest and I'm left with Jacob again. I can feel his eyes burning into the side of my head, but I can't look. I don't want to look. "Delilah." He says my name. I think it's one of the only words he knows how to say.

"I don't want to talk." I mutter. He grabs my wrist and tosses me in a fluid motion so that I'm on his back and he keeps walking. I'm not happy with being treated like a pet or a possession but now that I know how scary Jacob can be and the fact that I can make him turn into a wild animal if I make him mad, I don't say anything. And of course, he doesn't talk, so he walks in silence until we reach the Uley's. And he continues into the house without putting me down.

There's so many people there that I immediately want to die. I feel and probably look like an idiot, hanging like a monkey off Jacob's back. "Put me down Jacob." I say sternly.

"No."

I would punch him if he weren't made of solid muscle. "Put me down now!" I ground out. Finally I feel myself sliding down onto the floor. I straighten out my ruffled clothing and shake out my hair. "Thank you."

Sam's wife Emily steps out from the kitchen with watery eyes and makes a beeline for Jacob. "Oh my goodness," she cries lightly, and her arms go around him without hesitation. He flinches visibly, but he doesn't pull her away. Sam takes her away gently by the shoulders after a quick minutes and she wipes her eyes. "Welcome home."

Their embrace distracts me, so I don't notice that I'm being pulled away until Matteo puts his hands on my face. "Are you okay, Lila?" He asks me softly. I feel like we have been asking each other that question way too much in the last couple of days.

I nod. "I'm fine." I say quietly. Uncharacteristically, he hugs me tight and I let myself lean into his embrace comfortably until Jacob nearly tears his arm off.

"Don't touch her!" He snarls.

Matteo pushes me behind him and squares his chest. Even though he had grown immensely in the last month or so, he still stood about 5 inches shorter than Jacob, who had to be at least 6'8". "She's _my_ sister! I can do what I want! It's you who needs to keep your hands off of her! In fact, if you ever touch her again, I will _kill_ you."

"Mine!" He snarls back.

I can't take it anymore and I finally explode. "Hey! Here's an idea! How about we stop talking about me like I'm a possession! Matt, you may be my brother but you do not control my actions or me and," I look over at Jacob. "You! I don't even know you. But I know for a fact that I do not belong to you. So leave me alone! I don't want to be involved in this! You are all fucking nuts. I don't care that you actually can change into wolves! I am out of here!"

Before I can even turn and storm out, a large body is blocking the doorframe. Sam. I bump right into his bare chest and flinch backwards right back into Jacob's arms. His touch, although I hate to admit it, is much more tolerable than touching anyone else in the room. So I relax just a bit. "We still need to talk, Delilah. Please sit down." Sam escorts me into the kitchen and gestures to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. I sit down awkwardly.

Emily eyes me from where she's standing. "What's going on, Sam?" She asks gently. Yeah, what _is_ going on, _Sam?_ Cause I would like to know too.

He looks at her seriously. I don't even think he has another facial expression other than serious. "Jacob as you can see, is back. But his return has brought forth a complication…" He trails off to glance at me. Did he just call me a complication? "An imprint."

Emily gasps and brings her hands up to cover her mouth. Sam's facial expression stays the same. Jacob looks heartbroken. Matteo's hand is twitching. And I can tell I look absolutely dumbstruck and confused. And now everyone that I just mentioned and the other men in the room that I just realized were there is staring at me. My stomach is starting to feel funny again and I really hope I don't throw up on Emily's nice tablecloth. "Is anyone going to tell me what that is?" I finally pipe up meekly. I hate being stared at. "And could it possibly happen with less people in the room?"

Sam looks up and nods in their direction and finally, the room is a little more empty and I can breathe a bit easier. It's just the five of us now. Matteo is pacing back and forth grumbling under his breath and Emily and Sam and now sitting across from me, holding hands. Jacob hasn't moved from behind me but I know he's there because I can sense him.

"Delilah, I need you to promise me that you will not freak out until you hear everything okay? It's a lot to take in." Sam starts off. I just give him a look because honestly I just found out that people could turn into wolves so I'm pretty sure that there's nothing else that they can throw at me now. "When a wolf phases, there's a chance that they may find their imprint. It's supposed to be rare but… I'm not so sure anymore." He looks at Emily and then looks at Jacob. "An imprint, as Jacob described it once a long time ago, is like gravity moving. When you see her for the first time, she is suddenly the only thing that matters to you. And you would do anything and be anything for her. She's the most important thing in your life now, the most important thing ever."

He stops to take a breath and I'm just staring at him blankly. "Okay… You lost me a little bit though. What does that have to do with me?"

"Do you remember the day when you got lost in the woods and you ran into a wolf?" The deep, gravelly, almost unused voice that speaks comes from behind me instead of in front of me. I spin around so that I can look at Jacob while he talks. "Well, I say wolf but essentially it was me." I nod, of course I remember. "Do you remember when I fell to my stomach in submission?"

Oh no… "Yes." I barely whisper.

"I had been so lost. I hadn't used my voice or my feet in over a decade. I forget what it was even like to be human. But when I looked at you that day, for the first time in almost fifteen years, I finally felt whole." His eyes are staring into my soul. "You are _my_ gravity, Delilah. My imprint."

I can't feel my legs. I didn't even know that he knew how to speak such long, eloquent sentences and yet here I am, wishing he would take it all back. I shake my head. "No, I- I can't be." I gasp. "It's not possible. And you… kidnapped me. How does that make sense?"

I have to give him credit for looking ashamed, the first human emotion I've seen on his face other than anger since I've met him on two legs. "I was…" He seems to struggle for words. "Still feral, I guess. The only thing I can remember was I wanted you all to myself. I still do, actually. Want you all to myself."

"Oh my God." I accidentally say out loud. This is unreal. "We don't know each other. You don't know me. You can't feel this way about me. It's not possible."

His large hands grab my face tightly and I'm too surprised to move. "I do." He says firmly.

"I need… I need time to think. To breathe. Please." I beg. "Please let me go." I know he doesn't want to, and maybe earlier he wouldn't have. But his humanity is starting to come back. I can see the spark in his eyes and he reacts to the absolute hurt in my voice and drops my face and takes a step back.

I can't breathe at all. I'm hyperventilating. Matteo comes over to put his arms around me but I automatically flinch away. I feel like I don't even know my own brother anymore. "Delilah, please calm down. It's not as bad as you think." Emily says softly from across the table.

The disbelief is clear on my face. "I need to go home now." I spit out, stumbling my way to the front door.

He follows behind me. "Wait..." He calls out. He sounds so sad. "Please don't go."

I just stare at him. "I'm sorry." I say. And I really am sorry. But I can't stay. I turn and start running. As I make my way down the dirt road, I can hear his wolf howling in the woods. The shivers that go up my spine are involuntary.

When I get home and burst through the door, my parents are sitting on the couch. They jump up when they see me and ambush me. "Sweetie, are you alright?" My mom cries, fussing over me. My dad presses a hand against my face and tucks some hair behind my ear. I want to melt into their arms and cry, but the only thing I can think of is the fact that they aren't screaming and crying, wondering where I was all night. Why they didn't call the cops.

But then I realize.

"You knew." I accuse. "You knew the whole time."

My mom has the decency to look guilty. My dad tries to make an excuse. "When Matteo started growing, Sam came to talk to us. There had been complications in the past with parents not knowing beforehand. He didn't want us to be taken by surprise."

"And what about me, huh?" I ask. "What about me being taken by surprise? What about the fact that last night I got ambushed by some crazy guy that has lived as a wolf for the past fifteen years and now suddenly I'm his reason to become human again? Don't I matter?"

"Of course you do…" My mom says softly. "How could you even ask that?"

"Nobody even asked me, okay! Nobody asked me what I wanted!" I'm not talking about Matteo anymore. And then I start crying. "I didn't even get to choose!"

I can't stop myself from crying. I finally let my mom hug me. "What are you talking about sweetie? Choose what?"

I finally manage to get my next words out after a couple minutes of crying. "My life."

 **a/n: wow guys I cannot believe it's been so long... I am so sorry guys!**


	7. Chapter 6

_Sunday_

It would make sense that I slept in until late afternoon. As much fun as it was sleeping outside with a giant werewolf-man, it really wasn't comfortable at all and between the fighting and getting told that my brother is a werewolf and that I am some random guy's soul mate, I was exhausted.

My parents didn't bother me. I think they knew I wasn't in the mood. I guess now that I had time to calm down, I could see where they were coming from with not telling me, but I was still upset. When I woke up, I wanted to sulk in my room and hide away from the strange new world that I had been thrust into, but my growling stomach wouldn't let me hibernate, so I grudgingly made my way downstairs. I stroll into the kitchen with a sour face, pajamas and hair that hasn't been brushed since probably Friday, and nearly have a heart attack.

It's not my parents sitting at the table, it's Matteo and his friend that I think is named Kai. I want to bang my head against the wall. I've been begging for Matteo to come home to no avail, and he picks this moment to bring a friend home? Both of their heads lift up in unison from the food they're eating when I enter the room. I stop in my tracks, contemplate running back up the stairs in shame and then just shrug and make my way to the fridge to make a sandwich. I can feel them both watching me. I guess I should say something. "What are you doing here?" I ask. Wow, way to be nice.

"I'm moving back home." Matteo answers easily, smiling at me as I whirl around. "I figured since everyone here knows the secret, I don't have to worry about exposing myself. Plus, my phasing is pretty good. Much better than Kai's at least. I hear he got his temper from his uncle." Kai decks him hard in the arm, but Matteo doesn't even flinch. "Point proven."

I don't even know what to say, so I just nod and turn back around. "So, you're Delilah eh?" The kid says. Well, I think he's a kid. He looks like he could be in his twenties, just like Matteo does now, but he has a boyish tint to his eyes. "The one who finally got the infamous Jacob back on two feet."

"I guess." I mumble. I just want to go back into my room.

"It's weird having him here. I've only ever seen glimpses of his memories and felt his presence. Now, I'm attuned to his mind. And all he _ever_ thinks about is you. And occasionally Bella the vampire chick." He says it so casually, but the plate I'm holding nearly slips out of my hand and breaks. I catch it just in time, along with my breath, and turn to face them again.

Matteo looks at me and then his friend, who clearly doesn't notice anything is wrong, and I can see his eyes light up in understanding as I start to speak. "What did you just say? Attuned to his mind? Vampire chick? What the hell are you talking about?"

Kai looks guilty. "Okay… So Sam obviously did not fill you in on everything. Uh, I gotta go." He then quickly stands up and rushes out the back door so fast that I barely see him leave.

Are you kidding me right now? I thought werewolves and "imprinting" were the only things going on around here and now they're talking about vampires and mind reading? "Matteo, explain. Now." My voice is quivering and so is my body, so I sit down at the table.

"Uh," He looks uncomfortable and runs his hand over his freshly buzzed hair. "I really don't think I'm the best person to explain this to you."

"I'll tell her." My entire body jumps and my heart nearly flies out of my chest when I hear the voice from behind me. Jacob's standing in the back door wearing nothing but a pair of basketball shorts and staring at me.

I don't want Matteo to leave, but I can tell he's uncomfortable and he jumps at the chance to escape explaining stuff to me. "Okay I'm just going to go find Kai. Later sis." And he passes by Jacob and leaves, not before he gives him a very long stink eye. Jacob takes Matteo's place at the table across from me.

"Hi." He says.

I finally look at him. "Hi." He looks cleaner. The long, shaggy hair has been cut above his ears and washed. The skin around his face is clean and I can smell his musky, fresh scent from where I'm sitting. "You look… clean." I say lamely.

His lips twitch upwards and I realize that's the closest thing to a smile that I've seen on his face. "You don't." His voice has a strange edge to it. Is he… _teasing_ me? I guess he is technically a regular human being, except I still can't think of him as anything but crazy.

"Yeah, well…" I trail off. I can't help but feel awkward with the way he's staring at me. I wish Matteo wasn't such a big baby and hadn't left. "So you're going to tell me about… stuff?" I ask.

His lips fall into a straight line and he nods. "Whatever you want. But it's important to remember that you cannot tell anyone about this. Not about us, or about anything we do. Not even Stella."

I want to ask him how he knows who Stella is, but I'm not really surprised so I start with the thing I'm least concerned about. "Mind reading…?"

"The pack can read minds but only in wolf form. I think it's supposed to help us with coordination. It's more annoying than anything. You have no secrets. I had gotten good at keeping my thoughts to myself over the past fifteen years but now that I'm back in pack territory, it's harder to close up. My mind is focused on other things." He talks in such a clear voice, with no stumbles or pauses. I can tell I look amazed, because he raises his eyebrows. "What?"

"Your vocabulary has improved. It's only been one day."

He gives an almost smile again. "I stayed up almost all night trying to get myself back to normal. It's still weird talking out loud. It's been a while. Plus, hearing everyone talking in my head and actually conversing with them now helps."

He looks so different to me now. With the light in his eye, he's much more human than I've ever seen him. He almost looks happy. I don't want to ask my next question, but my curiosity gets the better of me. "Who's Bella?" I ask gently.

His posture goes from relaxed to rigid in a matter of milliseconds. "Where did you hear that name?" He grounds out from behind clenched teeth.

"Kai said you think about her sometimes. He also called her a vampire chick. Is she someone you know? And is she really a… vampire?" The word is hard to say. "Are they real?" I wait a long time for him to respond before I realize his hands are balled into fists and he's trembling. "Jacob?" I ask. "Are you okay?"

It comes out of my mouth before I realize it's a dumb question. Of course he's not okay. I don't know who this chick is, but she obviously is or was a huge part of his life, because he's out the door in a matter of seconds and all that he left behind was a pair of shredded shorts. I clean them up and throw them in the trash, waiting patiently at the kitchen table for him to return.

My parents come home a little while later and there's still no sign of him. So I resign myself up to my room until bed. School tomorrow… It almost seems trivial, going to school after realizing that supernatural creatures exist and are roaming among us. It seems way too normal.

 _Monday_

My sleep is restless and fitful and I wake up, remembering that I haven't showered in who knows how long, and quickly roll out of bed and into the steaming hot water. My mom has breakfast waiting for both Matteo, who came home at like four in the morning or some God-awful time like that, and me, but she looks concerned. "Are you sure you're ready to go back to school?" She asks with motherly concern. It takes me a moment to realize she's talking to both of us.

I roll my eyes and start eating my breakfast, but I wait curiously for Matteo's answer. "I'll be fine, Ma. But no promises if any of my teachers assign any extra homework." He grins but my mom is not amused. "Relax. And don't worry, I'll watch out for little miss imprint over here."

"You mean _I'll_ watch out for Teen Wolf over there." I retort, throwing my napkin at him. "Don't forget that you're still my little brother, even if you are taller than me now."

He grins at me. "You better watch your mouth. Don't forget, I bite now."

"Oh, I'm so scared." I say mockingly, rolling my eyes. "Lets go, Fido. Unless you're just going to run on all fours to school."

"Nah, wouldn't be good for my image. Gotta keep myself looking fresh for the ladies now." He laughs to himself and shovels more food into his mouth. I'm momentarily stunned by his fresh attitude and the mischievous grin that fails to leave his mouth. Maybe it's from hanging around a bunch of older guys.

I shrug it off and grab my keys and he quickly follows behind and makes a beeline for the back seat. He's asleep before my keys are even in the ignition. When we pull up to Stella's house and she storms out looking pissed as hell, I realize that I haven't talked to her since I left the party early Friday. Oops.

"What the _hell_!" She exclaims, throwing the door open. "You leave the bonfire half an hour in, disappear for the entire weekend and all I get is a lame excuse from your mom who says that you were 'out for the time being and would call me back later.' And you didn't even do that!" She looks behind her. "And now he's back? I repeat, what the hell?"

I just shake my head, because I can't really tell her anything. "I'll explain later." I say halfheartedly. And I would explain later, but it just wouldn't be the truth.

She huffs but agrees. "Are you okay though? I was really worried about you."

I smile at her. "I'm fine." Was I really fine? I don't know. Maybe.

She doesn't look convinced. I don't really blame her. We pull up to the school and I turn around to punch Matteo in the leg. "Wake up sleepy. We're here." I call.

He rubs his eyes sleepily. "Already? Oh hey Stella, when did you get here?" He mumbles.

She turns to answer him. "I've been here almost the whole rude, dork. I think the real question is when did _you_ get here? And where have you been?" I ready myself for his excuse. But he's silent for too long. Suspiciously, I pull the keys out of the ignition and turn to face him. His mouth is wide open.

Stella looks confused. "Did I break him?" She asks, stepping out of the car. I follow her and open the back door.

"Matt? You okay?" I ask. He blinks and shakes his head and then faster than I can comprehend, he's out of the other side of the car and running in the opposite direction of the school. "I guess not…"

Stella links her arm through mine. "I think they traded your brother for an alien copy when he was gone." She laughs, dragging me along. I laugh with her, but I'm worried. What happened that made him run off like that? He looked so scared.

I sit down in Chemistry, biting my thumb in anxiety. Claire sits down next to me quietly. Oh man, someone else I have to explain myself to. "Hey…" I mumble. "Look, I'm really sorry about what I said Friday. I don't even-"

She holds up her hand and cuts me off. "It's okay. No, really." She cuts off my protests again. "Listen, I was kept in the dark for almost half my life. I can understand how frustrating it is. You're forgiven."

"You know? Oh wait of course you do. You're always with Quil. How could you not know?" I pause for a moment. "Wait… are you an imprint too?" The word still left a funny taste in my mouth but she nodded.

"We can talk more after class okay? I know you're confused and I doubt Jacob has been very helpful answering questions."

I nodded and kept quiet for the rest of the period. I wasn't proud of myself, but I skipped my next class so that Claire and I could find an empty classroom to talk. "So you're an imprint too. For how long?" I ask.

"Since I was two… Yeah I know don't give me that look. I've heard it all. But it wasn't romantic or anything. Still isn't actually. I'm not old enough. Pft." She scoffs. "Do you know how hard it is hanging around him all day when he's shirtless, having this major connection and attraction, and not being able to do _anything_? It's torture."

I think back to Jacob, as weird as he was when we met, and remember how good he smells and how nice he looks without a shirt, and can easily imagine. "It's not hard to picture." I admit. "So how did that work?"

"He had to tell my parents, of course. There's no other rational explanation why he would want to hang out with a two year old all the time. They freaked out a little bit but they adjusted. Quil is basically a part of my family now. He didn't tell me until I was almost thirteen. It scared me a bit, but a lot of things started making sense. And I knew I wanted to be around him no matter what he was."

"Does the imprint do that?" I ask, mostly for my own benefit. "Draw you to him like he's drawn to you?"

She nods. "Yeah. According to my aunt, from the moment he looked into my eyes, I was hooked on him just as much as he was hooked on me. After the initial mouth dropping freak out that is. Apparently he froze solid for a good minute before running away."

I freeze. "You say he imprinted when he looked into your eyes for the first time? So they can only imprint if they've never met the person before?"

"No, no. It's the first time they see their imprint after they phase. Like Uncle Sam and Aunt Emily or Kim and Jared. It doesn't matter how long they've known each other or what their previous relationship was. After they phase and imprint, it all changes."

Oh no…

Before she can say anything else, I've bolted out of the classroom to my car. I had to talk to Sam.

I had to find Matteo.


End file.
